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Grey Brotherhood
The Grey Brotherhood or Pálow Sákrodh are a religious community that have the oldest origins among the Pálowan or Pál, and still live in the sheltered Mushroom Lands or Swombhóudn where Pál culture first arose. While retaining their core identity, the Brotherhood have embraced many outcasts from other cultures over the course of the 7th century. The non-violence and neutrality of the Grey Brotherhood has generally been respected by other powers in the region, and to this day the Mushroom Lands are regarded as a sanctuary and one of the most peaceful areas in Owlia. As a spiritual organisation, the Grey Brotherhood is not a nation state - it does not guard territory, operates by customs and mutual agreements rather by law, and considers its doors open to outsiders. History and Literature It would seem that Grey Brotherhood developed gradually over the early 7th century, and in many ways their religious beliefs and philosophy are still evolving. The earliest written history of the Grey Brotherhood dates back to the 610s, but records are very sparse until the 630s. By this point it is known that a settled, literate civilization existed in the Swombhóudn. Important events and important visitors have been recorded in the annals of the Brotherhood ever since that time. The Brotherhood were the first literate branch of the Pál family and their writing system, borrowing heavily from the older scripts of Clifftown and Skulltown, has since spread throughout the Pálowan world. The relative importance and influence of the Grey Brotherhood began to decline in the late 7th century, in large part replaced by the Iron Brotherhood in much of the Pálowan world, but they remain a founding keystone of Pálowan culture. Culture and Beliefs The Grey Brotherhood follow a largely ascetic lifestyle, deliberately shunning wealth and luxury, and have continued to live in simple grey stone buildings even when more advanced technology became available. They nonetheless practice charity and hospitality to outsiders, regularly taking in the sick and weak and nursing them back to health. Leadership of the brotherhood is elective, with the Elder Brother or Edhemos being first chosen by a vote among the twelve most senior Brothers, then keeping their position until death or retirement. Women are not excluded from the Brotherhood, with female members being called Sisters, but it remains a male-dominated environment. Members are discouraged from marrying and having children, so as to focus on their spiritual paths and service to the community. Thus the population remains small, and is supported by the regular arrival of devotees from outside, many of whom live alongside the Brotherhood without being full-fledged members. The Grey Brotherhood do not have a single religious dogma, but instead have a set of unifying beliefs - chief among these being faith in a benevolent higher power, an interwoven inner spiritual essence of all things, non-violence, and a belief in the virtue of being humble and charitable towards others. Recently, scholars in the Landing region have theorised that long-term exposure to Mushroom Stew has mind-altering effects, inducing a feeling of peace, calm and a trusting attitude towards others; more sceptical writers consider this the true origin of the Grey Brotherhood as a movement. Food, Climate & Geography The unique soil of the Swombhóudn region is largely matted with fungus, dotted with towering giant mushrooms, and as such is ill-suited to conventional agriculture. This matters little to the Grey Brotherhood, see farming as a practice which steals too much time away from more spiritual pursuits. Instead, members of the Grey Brotherhood are encouraged to put their trust in the divine and to ‘live off the land’ - catching fish and milking mushroom stew or Swombúde from the semi-wild Mooshroom beasts that wander the landscape. This is often accompanied by the fruit of imported spike berry bushes, which are the only plants that are traditionally cultivated in small plots of specially-prepared soil (indeed it is believed the Grey Brotherhood were responsible for originally spreading the Spike Berry from its natural habitat in the east). The staple dish of mushroom stew mixed with berries is known as Namún. During lean times, the population survives on dried kelp which grows in abundance offshore, and can also be burned as fuel to warm their homes. The Swombhóudn peninsular is surrounded by an upwelling of very cold water from the deep sea which, combined with glacial winds from the Landing mountains to the west, creates the conditions for large icebergs to continually form in a rough, fractured arc around the coastline. This is by no means an impermeable barrier for experienced sailors, but these waters can be hazardous to the inexperienced, especially given the presence of wandering polar bears on the ice. The cold waters are nonetheless rich in nutrients, attracting an abundance of fish and squid. The dramatic and ever-changing outline of the icy ‘cradle’ surrounding their homeland has been a continual source of wonder and inspiration for the Grey Brotherhood, and indeed for the wider Pál culture as a whole. The Grey Brotherhood have at times dug deep into the caves and tunnels that underlie the Mushroom Lands, removing large quantities of stone for their construction projects and iron for their tools. It is rumoured that the remains of an ancient mining complex, perhaps related to the ancient Wungarians, exists deep beneath the surface, and is haunted by venomous spiders, yet to be fully explored. At some point in the mid-7th century, a narrow canal was dug through the western isthmus that connects the Swombhóudn to the mainland, to allow the uninterrupted passage of trading canoes. This now technically makes the Swombhóudn a large island, though the canal is narrow enough that it provides little obstacle to overland travel. It is unknown who originally dug the canal but it is likely to have been traders involved in the north-south trade along the coast of the Landing region. The Grey Brotherhood have since sought to maintain the canal and to keep it open for all travellers. Settlements The main settlement of the Grey Brotherhood, and the oldest settlement among the Pál, is known as Pálow Kirkos, or more informally as ‘Mushroom Town’ to outsiders. The town lies in the northern half of the Swombhóudn, occupying a commanding spot at the head of two sheltered inlets in the coastline - one facing north and one facing west, echoing the importance of access to the icy seas for the early Pál peoples. Although the buildings are made of simple grey stone, some of them are rather large and have been built to last the ages, with thick robust walls to stand up to the storms that sometimes sweep in from the icy seas beyond. The town composes a main temple and a library building, holding some of the oldest written scrolls in Owlia, surrounded by workshops and smaller dwellings. A religious monument has been erected on a hilltop overlooking the town, commemorating the founders of the Grey Brotherhood and acting as a focal point of religious processions. Wandering traders and their llama trains are frequently to be found passing through Pálow Kirkos, so much so that a significant population of escaped semi-wild llamas now roam the surrounding countryside. The southern half of the Swombhóudn remains largely wild and unsettled. Aside from the aforementioned mooshrooms, lama escapees, and rare visits from polar bears swimming onto the mainland, one can otherwise meditate here among the giant mushrooms, free from distractions. Overseas Monasteries Brothers and Sisters have travelled extensively throughout the Pál cultural sphere, setting up small outpost communities. A few have travelled even further beyond these coasts, and it is believed some voyagers may have established small monasteries in faraway lands, though it may be hard to recognise them as such; the somewhat amorphous nature of the Grey Brotherhood’s teachings make it relatively easy to syncretise with other religions and cultures. Category:Owlia